UA LITTLE RESEARCH STUDY FINDS HOW COLLABORATIVE NETWORKS IN ARKANSAS WORK TOGETHER TO HELP FOSTER CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock student is participating in a unique U.S.-Mexican collaborative research opportunity that combines digital field mapping techniques with state-of-the-art laboratory analytical work on the tectonic evolution of the Santa Rosalia basin area in the Gulf of California rift. Mariela Saavedra Duran, a double major in geology and Spanish from Alexander, Arkansas, was chosen for the Baja Basin program, which is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation as an International Research Experiences for Students program.

University of Arkansas at Little Rock has been awarded a federal grant worth more than $581,000 from the U.S. Department of Education that will help pay child care expenses for low-income students thanks to four graduate students and a professor.

Alyssa Joseph, a freshman at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has been selected for a 2021 Mitchell Academic Incentive Award from Greater Little Rock Jack and Jill of America, Inc.

Criminal justice researchers at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock are investigating the unique challenges and barriers faced by homeless LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning) adults in Arkansas.

Shannon Bione, a senior from Herrin, Illinois, is one of five UA Little Rock students who received the prestigious Student Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education to conduct research projects.

Josiah Johnson, a senior finance and economics major from Sherwood, is researching the impact on small towns that have been nominated for and featured on the TV show "Small Business Revolution." In the TV show, an ultimate prize of $500,000 is awarded to a small town for revitalization efforts. The prize is allocated primarily to six business ventures in each winning town to renovate stores and storefronts, improve marketing strategies, and establish a brand for each small business and town.

One University of Arkansas at Little Rock student is hoping his series of microdroids inspired by a galaxy far, far away will inspire other students to get interested in STEM education. Alejandro "Alex" Alvarez-Barreiro, a junior double major in mechanical engineering technology and Spanish, received a UA Little Rock Signature Experience Award to build microdroids inspired by the "Star Wars" Universe.

Hannah Krehbiel, a senior from Fort Smith, is one of five UA Little Rock students who received the prestigious Student Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education to conduct research projects.

One University of Arkansas at Little Rock student is diving deeper into the results from the 2020 Little Rock Congregations Study (LRCS) to investigate the influence of income, politics, and religion on how people prioritize important community issues. Landon DeKay, a senior graduate with a degree in political science, received a Signature Research Grant from UA Little Rock to examine how LRCS study participants prioritize healthcare, race relations, and income equality.

One University of Arkansas at Little Rock student is diving deeper into the results from the 2020 Little Rock Congregations Study (LRCS) to investigate the influence of income, politics, and religion on how people prioritize important community issues. Landon DeKay, a senior political science major from Maumelle, received a Signature Research Grant from UA Little Rock to examine how LRCS study participants prioritize healthcare, race relations, and income equality.

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock student, Kate Richars, wrote a successful $3,000 grant for her mother's school district in Illinois that will help raise mental health awareness for the community.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has announced the newly appointed members of the Racial Barriers Committee.

Students from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock participate in the 2020 Little Rock Congregations Study.

Alex Soulard, a graduate assistant at UA Little Rock, is one of the researchers at the Sequoyah National Research Center who created a website visualizing American Indian removal through Arkansas.

The path to becoming a researcher takes many different forms. For UA Little Rock student William King, it all started with a fifth-grade plot to take over the world. A lofty dream, but the Bradford, Arkansas, native was practical about it - the first step had to be, of course, a quest for immortality. However, unlike other kids his age, King wasn't interested in fountains of youth or magical potions.

In 2018, Mitchel Gundrum, a former executive information technology support specialist living in San Francisco, was ready for a career change.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has selected nearly 125 students as recipients of 2019-20 Signature Experience grants. Since 2017, the program has provided UA Little Rock students with a grant of up to $1,000 to fund a signature experience, such as a research project, creative activity, or community project, to enrich the students' academic experience at UA Little Rock.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has received a $10,000 Google education grant that will help provide free cloud-based cybersecurity labs for junior high and high school students in Arkansas. Additionally, a three-year $276,424 National Science Foundation grant awarded to the UA Little Rock Emerging Analytics Center is being used to develop a free open-source, cybersecurity curriculum for students in Arkansas with assistance from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education.

Three University of Arkansas at Little Rock students are helping to uncover the secret to successful community partnerships between religious and nonprofit organizations in Little Rock. The Little Rock Congregations Study is an ongoing research project led by Dr. Rebecca Glazier, associate professor in the UA Little Rock School of Public Affairs, stemming from research begun in 2012 about the effects of religious organizations on community engagement in Little Rock. In 2018, student researchers surveyed more than 110 clergy members in the Little Rock area, conducted interviews with 24 clergy members, and wrote 22 stories highlighting partnerships between congregations and community organizations. This fall, they are surveying nonprofit organizations to learn more about when and how partnerships form.

wo University of Arkansas at Little Rock researchers have used a novel approach to quantitatively portray legislative change in Ukraine to provide a view into the larger political dynamics of the country.

University of Arkansas at Little Rock students served as graduate assistants during deep learning workshops provided by Dr. Mariofana Milanova, professor of computer science, who has joined NVIDIA's Deep Learning Institute University Ambassador Program.

Emilie Darrigues, a doctoral student in applied science-chemistry, studies how plasmonic nanoparticles, some designed to deliver medicine targeting cancer cells, interact with cell cultures in a 3D model through her work as a graduate research assistant in the Center for Integrative Nanotechnology Sciences.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Sustainability Committee has awarded nearly $7,000 to five projects proposed by UA Little Rock students with the goal of making the campus more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate has honored his family's legacy by devoting his graduate research to uncovering the history of the Arkansas Highway Police. Cody Besett, 27, of Rogers, graduated May 11 with a Master of Arts in public history with an emphasis in archives and digital collections. Since his father and grandfather were both officers with the Arkansas Highway Police, he was inspired to write his thesis about the state law enforcement agency.

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate has created a computer program that can identify emotions on a person's face in real time. Suzan Anwar, of Little Rock, graduated May 11 from UA Little Rock with a Ph.D. in computer and information science. In August, she will begin a new position as an assistant professor of computer science at Philander Smith College, where she has taught robotics courses for the past year. Anwar and her dissertation advisor, Dr. Mariofanna Milanova, professor of computer science, created a face analysis package that uses face and eye detection and eye tracking software to recognize emotions like happiness, sadness, anger, disgust, fear, and surprise. The second part of the system can track the position of a person's head and what their eyes are looking at when they feel a specific emotion. The software has the potential for a variety of real-world applications.

Juliann Fiallos, a junior geology/biology double major from Ansonia, Connecticut, spent several months this spring examining the levels and impact of microplastics in the Fourche Creek wetlands. Microplastics are microscopic pieces of plastic that are released into the environment as plastic products slowly begin to break down.

Nicole Ursin, a senior anthropology major at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has been conducting original research on a community of Micronesian immigrants in Texas.

Robin Freeman is one of more than 100 UA Little Rock students who received a $1,000 grant to conduct original research, creative works, and community service projects this semester as part of the university's Signature Experience Award program. Freeman is investigating the experiences of women without children and the communication strategies they employ to cope with stigma in society. Freeman presented her research at the Southern States Communication Association Undergraduate Honors Conference earlier this month and at the Student Research and Creative Works Expo held April 18 in the Jack Stephens Center.

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock student is promoting mental health awareness with one inspirational smiley-faced mug at a time. Emilia Rak, a junior social work major, knows what it's like to live with mental health disorders and the challenges and stigma that can come from people who don't understand. "I've struggled with mental health issues for several years, and I would become severely depressed," Rak said. "I had a very good friend, Renee. Her mother passed away a few years ago. She loved coffee, so at her funeral they had a coffee bar. Often, when I was feeling depressed, Renee told me that I had to have a coffee date with her mom in the morning. It was my promise not to harm myself until morning. For many years, my promise to my good friend was the only thing that kept me alive."